Annual leave calculator
Calculate how much leave you have earned, what remains after time off, and your projected balance at the end of the leave year.
Important: This is a planning estimate, not a payroll or legal determination. Your employer, award, collective agreement, contract or local law may use different accrual, rounding, eligibility, carry-over and deduction rules.
What does an annual leave calculator do?
An annual leave calculator estimates paid holiday earned during a leave year, then adjusts that amount for carry-over, leave already taken and leave already booked. This tool also converts the result into hours and work weeks using your normal schedule, and projects the balance to the end of the leave year.
Because payroll and employment rules differ, every assumption stays visible. You choose the leave-year boundary, entitlement, accrual method and work pattern instead of relying on a hidden regional default.
How annual leave accrual is calculated
Define the accrual period
Accrual begins on the later of the leave-year start or employment start date and ends on the selected calculation date.
Calculate earned entitlement
Daily pro rata uses the exact calendar-day fraction of the leave year. Completed-month accrual credits one twelfth for each full month completed.
Adjust the balance
Carry-over is added. Leave already taken and future leave booked are then deducted.
Convert the result
Remaining days are multiplied by hours per workday and divided by workdays per week for practical planning.
accrued = annual entitlement × eligible calendar days ÷ days in leave yearaccrued = annual entitlement ÷ 12 × completed monthsAnnual leave balance example
Suppose an employee has 20 days of annual entitlement, carries over 2 days, and checks the balance on 30 June in a 365-day leave year. They have taken 5 days and booked 1 more day.
- 120 × 181 ÷ 365 = 9.92 daysDaily pro-rata leave accrued through 30 June.
- 29.92 + 2 = 11.92 daysAdd the carry-over balance.
- 311.92 − 5 − 1 = 5.92 daysDeduct leave taken and booked.
- 45.92 × 8 = 47.36 hoursConvert at 8 hours per workday.
Daily vs monthly leave accrual
| Method | How it works | Typical effect |
|---|---|---|
| Daily pro rata | Entitlement is earned for each eligible calendar day, using 365 or 366 days as appropriate. | The displayed balance changes a little each day. |
| Completed months | One twelfth of the annual entitlement is added after each full month. | The displayed balance changes in monthly steps. |
Some employers grant the full entitlement upfront, accrue by hours worked, round each pay period or use statutory formulas. In those cases, use this result only as a comparison and rely on the official payroll balance.
How to calculate annual leave for part-time work
Enter the annual entitlement already adjusted for the employee’s contract, then use the normal hours per workday and workdays per week for conversion. For example, if a contract grants four weeks of leave and the employee normally works three days per week, the annual day entitlement may be 12 days before any local rules or employer enhancements.
Use the contractual day entitlement and the normal part-time days per week.
An hours-based payroll figure may be more reliable than converting with one average workday.
Calculate separate periods under the old and new schedules if your employer prorates each segment.
Use the method required by the contract or local law; annual days may not be the correct basis.
What can change an annual leave balance?
- Leave-year policy. The year may follow the calendar, a company year or each employee’s anniversary.
- Pay-period rounding. Payroll may store more decimals or round accrual each week, fortnight or month.
- Carry-over limits. Unused days may expire, be capped or require approval to carry forward.
- Unpaid absence or changed hours. Some policies pause or adjust accrual when employment status or ordinary hours change.
- Public holidays and non-working days. These may not be deducted from annual leave when they fall inside a booked absence.
- Leave granted in advance. An upfront allowance can differ from the accrued amount shown by a pro-rata method.
Annual leave calculator FAQs
How do I calculate accrued annual leave?
For daily pro-rata accrual, multiply the annual entitlement by eligible calendar days and divide by the number of days in the leave year. For completed-month accrual, divide the entitlement by 12 and multiply by full months completed.
What is the annual leave balance formula?
The calculator adds leave accrued to date and carry-over, then subtracts leave already taken and future leave booked. The result can be positive, zero or negative.
Does the calculator handle leap years?
Yes. Daily pro-rata calculations use the actual number of calendar days in the selected 12-month leave year, so the denominator can be 365 or 366.
How is annual leave converted from days to hours?
The remaining day balance is multiplied by the hours per workday you enter. If shifts vary, compare the result with the hours balance maintained by payroll.
How do I calculate annual leave for a part-time employee?
Enter the annual day entitlement that applies to the part-time contract, then enter the normal hours per workday and days per week. If entitlement is based on hours worked, use the employer’s official method.
What should I enter for employment start date?
Enter it when employment began after the leave year started. The calculator then begins accrual on the employment date. Leave it blank when the employee was eligible from the first day of the leave year.
What is the difference between leave taken and leave booked?
Leave taken has already occurred. Leave booked is a future amount you want to reserve. Both are deducted from the available balance, but the result shows their combined and separate amounts.
Why is the annual leave balance negative?
A negative result means entered leave taken and booked exceeds accrued leave plus carry-over. This can happen when leave is permitted in advance or when an input or payroll method differs.
Does the calculator include public holidays?
No. Enter annual leave days after applying your employer’s rule for public holidays, weekends and other non-working days. Those dates often should not reduce annual leave.
Can annual leave carry over to the next year?
That depends on the employer, contract and applicable law. The carry-over field accepts an existing balance but does not determine whether carry-over is permitted or capped.
Why can this estimate differ from payroll?
Payroll may accrue by hours or pay period, grant leave upfront, round differently, apply service thresholds, pause accrual during some absences or enforce different carry-over rules.
Is the annual leave information stored?
No. The calculation runs in the browser and this plugin does not transmit or store the dates or balances entered into the calculator.